Honkai: It’s broken, I have become the Herrscher of Corrosion?

"Huh...huh..."

Padufilis looked around in horror as if he had woken up from a nightmare.

The cozy room, the fragrant flowers, everything seemed so strange.

"We are...coming to heaven after death?"

She shook her head and immediately rejected the idea:

"That's not right. I'm a memory. How could I..."

"Oh, Padu, are you awake? Did you get a fright just now?"

The door was slowly pushed open, and Alicia's face immediately appeared in front of Padofelice.

"Sister Ai...Sister Ai Li, what on earth is going on?"

Enosia followed closely behind:

"Just like you thought before, to you, it was just a prank... I played. But to me, Padu, you did something that even I couldn't do."

"Eh? Even Sister Ino couldn't do this. How is this possible..."

Padufilis recalled the scene before his death and suddenly realized something.

"It's just as you think. As a memory device, if I check her data, I can usually only read the memory of her current personality. If I want to read the memory of her other personalities, even I have to spend some effort. And considering that she knows I have this ability, she may use self-deception to pass on false information to me."

"When even a Herrscher of Corrosion like me sees someone like Vilvi, I have to say she's a supermodel."

"Therefore... I can only ensure that I won't accidentally hurt other people when the extremely evil personality appears."

"But... Is Mei-san in danger? Or does Aino-san have..."

Enosia shook her head.

"I didn't leave any special protection or backdoor for Mei, otherwise Weiwei might have seen it. Of course, the more important reason is... there is no need."

(Entering Raiden Mei's perspective...)

In the unfamiliar room, the evil Velvet, who had been talking to herself, finally stopped and looked at Mei.

"Oh...Look at your expression, you don't seem to believe me.

Let me guess... Did she think there was no reason for her to let me go? Since she could easily defeat Wei Wei, what was the point of having a helper like me? The answer is... Of course not at the beginning. I think she was willing to spare my life because she felt that we [desire] the same thing. But it was not the case later.

Because... in this unchanging paradise, there is still one "variable", isn't it? "

"You mean... me...?"

"Yes, an existence that is not a [memory], but can make it feel helpless. Conquering lightning... Even Enosia can't do it, so naturally she can't do it either. If someone can erase this variable... it's not too much to make a [friend] out of it, right?"

"So that's why you're trying to find a way... to get me into your mind?"

"This should be considered... the inspiration that Aponya gave me? Although it is only temporary, now... you are in my mind. And I will separate a new area and put you in it in the same way they imprisoned me... And this time, the time will be [eternal]."

"There is still good news. At least... I don't have any evil thoughts that need to be borne by you. But... it's hard to say whether this can still be considered as [alive]?"

"...Where are the other Velvets?"

"I killed them all. I was a little reluctant, after all, they were all me - but I couldn't leave any hidden dangers. Fortunately, I'm pretty good at imitating myself, right?"

"So, Alicia... Kevin... and Mobius..."

The evil Vilvi smiled contemptuously:

"I can't tell you that - I know that using flattery is your usual trick. As I said, everything just now was a performance. So the lines were carefully chosen. I will certainly make sure that you won't find any clues to defeat me - I don't want to be that kind of... funny villain who fails because of his talkativeness."

"What about her?"

"【she】?"

"…Paduo, Paduo Felice. Someone who can't hinder your conspiracy. She just wants to survive."

"Oh, indeed, I also said that it was just an accident. After all, I did all this just to [survive]. Since my disappearance from the world is the [price] for the good to survive in peace... then the other way around... why can't you accept it?"

"...I understand. Since you mentioned so many of your own thoughts, then... do you know what I am thinking at this moment?"

"Would you like to talk about it?"

"Now, I am facing an individual who is completely evil and is determined to kill me. She is moving forward with her plan, a conspiracy that could endanger reality."

"Ah, to be more precise, it should be said that...it will definitely endanger reality."

"But none of this matters to me right now. I'm only thinking about one thing."

Mei slowly closed her eyes, trying to piece together the syllables that had gradually faded from her memory with greater concentration. She knew what was all around her at this moment.

When she opened her eyes again, there was more determination than anger in her eyes.

"And you... made my friend sacrifice for such a ridiculous reason... Then, are you also prepared to pay the corresponding price?"

“After being cut so many times, do you still have the energy left to use your power? Well, I don’t know what the [price] will be... but I can be curious. Herrscher of Thunder, since people like [tragic heroes], then next, use your struggle that is doomed to fail to sound the prelude to the end of this performance...!”

As she finished her words, the entire space began to distort. When Mei regained her ability to move, she found that there was an abyss behind her.

"How the mind is divided... Now, you have the honor of witnessing it with your own eyes. Soon, this area... will become an isolated cage. Ah! No, no, should I say... a tomb?"

The voice of the evil Wei Wei Wei seemed to come from far away. At the same time, the road behind was constantly collapsing. Mei had no choice but to run forward quickly.

"Is she going to separate this area from her mind? I can't stay in the same place. I have to leave here as soon as possible. As long as she can't determine my location, she won't be able to determine the range of the separation."

"Oh... do you really want me to divide my thoughts into pieces? Or should we just stay where we are... it will save both of us time."

Several gates suddenly rose up on the empty ground, greatly restricting Mei's movements. Mei swung her sword and shattered the gates with one strike, but she clearly felt her strength draining away.

After running forward for an unknown amount of time, when Mei thought she had reached the exit, she found herself teleported to another almost identical space.

"How is this going?!"

"Very clever. If I don't stay in one place, I won't be able to divide it smoothly. But... why should I follow your pace?"

"This is the situation - I can just sit there and watch you run away without taking any action. When you finally run out of energy and have to stop, I can just give you a gentle cut, and that'll be it, right? And you, even though you know this, you still can't stay anywhere for even a moment, otherwise you'll be killed immediately."

"It's interesting, isn't it? It's very similar to the lives of most people... miserable. Knowing that there is only death ahead that will come at an unknown time, but... can't stop."

"Oh... I seem to have forgotten to explain this to you. The reason why this place looks like what you see is also thanks to you. Thank you for showing me all of yourself, so that I can see the [malice] of the future. It's the most suitable place to bury the Herrscher of the future, right?"

"She's right. If we continue like this... we're just stalling for time. I must try to create an opportunity to fight her head-on. Otherwise... although it's risky, this is the only way. Only by witnessing a [Division] with my own eyes can I know if I can escape from it."

Seeing Mei stopped where she was, the evil Wilwei's mocking voice sounded again:

"Ah ha...? Are you giving up resistance so soon? Struggle a little longer, I haven't seen enough. Well, that's it. Farewell, my dearest audience... Raiden Mei."

At the moment the road beneath her feet collapsed, Mei turned into a flash of lightning and rushed forward. Although she was still teleported to an unfamiliar space, that is, still in her mind, the collapse behind her stopped abruptly. And the evil Wei Wei was standing opposite her.

"Sure enough... I guessed right. Since she has an absolute advantage, there are some costs... that she is not willing to bear."

"…Did I say too much just now?"

"I'm afraid you've said too much. Weiwei once told me that she only divided her mind into eight areas. The reason is... if she continues, it will be difficult to maintain the standard of "genius" in each area. After all, your mind has a "total amount", and... it is quite precious. In this case, those failed "divisions" just now must have caused you a lot of losses, right?"

"……so what?"

"Let's make a bet. The realm I can reach, and the realm you are willing to give up... Which one will have a wider range? Before catching up with the lightning - will you first fall from a [genius] to a [fool]?"

The evil Vivi laughed so hard that she fell backwards:

"Hahahahahahaha... You don't think... that I can't see through your intentions, do you? You think that a "head-on confrontation" with me is your only chance, right?"

"It's the same for you. Or... we can just stay here and fight until the heroes outside find out the truth. Is this a situation you would prefer?"

"Ah... what a pity... I originally wanted to end this in a more [fair] way, but you were unwilling to cherish this opportunity. Forget it, although things will become more troublesome, since I can't appreciate your [despair]... it seems that appreciating your [pain] is not a bad idea? Herrscher of Thunder, have you... ever had your limbs broken by someone?"

On the wide platform, all kinds of monsters and machines that Mei had never seen before crawled out of the ground, but the evil Vilvi herself still stood there motionless, occasionally making sharp comments on the battle situation, as if she was just a spectator watching the show.

"Oh! He is indeed quite capable, but... since you have also faced the Herrscher of the previous generation, you will understand... how insincere my praise was just now."

Mei couldn't deny that what Evil Velvet said was indeed correct. Even if she could use her full strength, there would still be a certain gap between her and the Herrscher of Thunder of the previous civilization.

It’s just that…to deal with these mechas that are at most at the level of low-level Honkai beasts, even if I am weakened, it is more than enough.

"Even if she has great control over this place, I can still find an opportunity..."

Mei took advantage of the opportunity and headed straight for the evil Wei Erwei who was watching the show on the side.

However... the special effects are very cool, but the damage is 0, and the evil Vivi is still standing there intact, with a face full of ridicule.

"My attack... doesn't seem to have any effect on her?"

"Ah, go on... I did say that I don't like playing games that tease my prey - but that's only when there's a chance of failure. Since the victory is already decided, I don't mind having some fun."

“…Is it [her]?!”

"Yes, that's right. But you came back faster than I thought. It seems that solving Qianjie... is not that difficult."

"Thousand calamities!"

"Well, I've been acting with you for so long, like I was coaxing a child. I made you think I was a smart person... I'm very sorry."

"You have been...waiting for this power?"

"Is this surprising? I've said before that she is an existence that can make any memory become insignificant. In this case, I can become her [spokesperson] and gain the power to compete with you, or even any other hero... It's not surprising, right?

"You spent so much time" guessing, and when you thought you had seen through my lies one after another, you didn't realize that... the truth you analyzed was exactly another "lie". From the moment you stepped into this place, my goal was achieved. No matter what happens later - it doesn't matter. "

"you……"

"Okay, this is the final twist before the end. In fact, I don't like playing the role of a wooden stake, and I am not interested in having so much physical interaction with you. The reason why I didn't resist just now... do you know the reason now?"

Just as people often realize their pain only after seeing the wound, Mei also noticed the strange feeling at this time. For her... the fleeting but extremely familiar strange feeling began to become clearer with the invasion of the dark green mist.

"So this is... [Erosion]"